The present invention relates generally to an orthosis, and more particularly to an orthosis intended to wrap around a part of the body under tension and support the underlying body part.
An orthosis is commonly constructed to support and stabilize a part of the body on which the orthosis is worn. An orthosis is most frequently worn on a joint such as a knee, ankle, hip, back, elbow, shoulder, wrist, etc. in either a preventative or remedial role. When used preventatively, the orthosis is worn on a healthy joint to reduce the risk of injury when the joint is subjected to undue stress. When used remedially, the orthosis is worn on an injured or infirm joint and reinforces the weakened joint to rehabilitate the joint and/or reduce the risk of further injury or infirmity.
One conventional type of orthosis is termed a lumbar support or lumbar brace which is worn on the lower back and covers the lumbar region. In most cases, lumbar braces are fabricated from pliant materials which allow the wearer a degree of mobility for bending the back. However, pliant materials are also frequently reinforced with strategically placed rigid or semi-rigid members to limit this degree of mobility. A typical lumbar brace has a widened belt configuration with two free ends having a releasable coupling element positioned on each free end. The user dons the lumbar brace by grasping the uncinched brace at each free end, tightly wrapping the lumbar brace around the lumbar region of the body and cinching the brace on the body by releasably connecting the free ends to one another using the releasable coupling elements. The tautness or tension of the cinched lumbar brace laying flat against the lumbar region of the body desirably supports and stabilizes the lower back to reduce the risk of newly injuring the lower back or exacerbating a pre-existing injury or infirmity to the lower back.
It is apparent that the degree of pressure applied by the cinched lumbar brace to the lumbar region of the wearer is a key variable to the effectiveness of the brace in supporting and stabilizing the lumbar region of the back. Accordingly, practitioners in the art have developed numerous means enabling the user to adjust the tension of the lumbar brace while the brace is cinched to the lumbar region of the body, thereby correspondingly enabling the user to adjust the degree of pressure the brace applies to the lumbar region. One such conventional tension adjustment means is termed a lacer system which provides the user with a mechanical advantage for increasing the tension of the cinched lumbar brace. The lumbar brace accommodates the lacer system by providing a discontinuity in the length of the brace between its two free ends which forms a gap therein. The lacer system has two housings mounted on the brace with one being mounted on one side of the gap and the other being mounted on the opposite side of the gap. One or more tensioning laces extend between the two housings across the gap, thereby connecting the brace across the gap. The lacer system enables the user to selectively tension the lumbar brace against the body by manually pulling on the tensioning laces, thereby drawing the two housings and underlying brace on which they are mounted closer together and narrowing the gap. Conversely, the lacer system enables the user to selectively slack or relax the lumbar brace on the body by manually releasing the tensioning laces, thereby displacing the two housings and underlying brace on which they are mounted farther apart and widening the gap.
When the uncinched lumbar brace is stored away from the wearer, the brace is prone to twisting and tangling due to the highly pliant character of the tensioning laces in the lacer system. If the lumbar brace becomes twisted during non-use, it must be untwisted before it can be worn, which can be a cumbersome and tedious task. The present invention recognizes the need for a mechanical advantage tensioning device on an orthosis such as a lumbar brace which substantially prevents or resists twisting. Accordingly, it is generally an object of the present invention to provide an orthosis having a mechanical advantage tensioning device which satisfies the above-recited need. This object and others are accomplished in accordance with the invention described hereafter.